Too few people know about the plight
of one of the world's most endangered
canids, the African
wild dog (Lycaon pictus) or Africa's "painted wolf."
This unique pack-living canid, with its large parabolic ears and
mottled coat pattern of yellow, white, and black, once ranged
widely throughout sub-Saharan Africa in 39 countries. Today wild
dogs have all but disappeared in 15, with perhaps no more than
3,000–5,500 remaining. Their dramatic decline is largely
due to human persecution and habitat fragmentation. The IUCN Species
Survival Commission (SSC) Canid Specialist Group, and American
Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) Canid and Hyaenid Taxon Advisory
Group (TAG) regard African wild dogs as a high-priority species
for wildlife conservation.

Why
Save African Wild Dogs?

Among the top carnivores, wild dogs
are a landscape species requiring large, ecologically diverse
areas to survive. Species, like wild dogs,
may have a significant impact on the structure and function of
ecosystems. Because of habitat requirements and ranging behavior,
they are threatened by human disturbance and use of natural landscapes.
One of Africa's most efficient predators, wild dogs may help regulate
prey species that in turn play a role in shaping vegetation communities.
Securing a future for wild dogs, therefore, is an essential part
in stemming the loss of biodiversity and preserving a healthy
ecosystem. By working with people living with wild dogs, we hope
to help secure their long-term survival.

Our Approach to Conservation in Practice

Having lived and worked in the African
bush for many years, we believe that investing in people and
taking an adaptive grassroots approach are necessary to make
wild dog conservation efforts sustainable, and indeed truly
important to enable those most directly affected. The African
Wild Dog Conservancy's community
conservation project is in the biodiversity
hotspots of northeastern and coastal Kenya, a rich mosaic
of protected areas and community lands under extreme threat.
Our approach differs from a number of other projects, because
we have taken the time to learn why many community-based conservation
efforts have not succeeded:

Our project was started with
the support of local people with vision, who recognize
that the well-being of wildlife, plants, and people is
interconnected, and that healthy ecosystems improve livelihoods.

Baseline information on attitudes
and concerns is being collected to track project success,
document and learn from mistakes, and to adapt as needed.

Time is being taken to build good-working
relationships with local people based on trust, recognizing
that there will be bumps in the road, and that conservation
and development are not always compatible. We are striving
to interweave traditional skills and knowledge, and cultural
and religious perspectives with conservation science, training,
and education.

Started
in 2001, the African Wild
Dog Conservancy (AWD Conservancy)
is a registered 501(c)(3)
nonprofit dedicated to working with
local communities, and national
and international stakeholders to
conserve wild dogs through scientific
research and education. The AWD
Conservancy's objectives are the
following:

Establish
and support long-term conservation
programs involving local communities
in research and education

Develop
and implement a collaborative
multidisciplinary program
integrating applied field
and captive conservation research